Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-03-16
State AFFAIRS.
A Bill to Reconcile the State Uniyer-
sity and Its Branches Intro
duCed in the House.
The High License Bill Passes the! Sen
ate and the Greer County Land
Bill Meets With Defeat.
The Drouth Relief Committee Complete
Their Work and Make Their Of
fetal Report to Gov. Ross.
PROGNOSTICATIOS.

many reasons to believe that the Univer-
sity dill will never become a law.
All indications point to the concur
renee Of the House in the Senate substi-
cute land bill without any alteration.
The bill creating the Court of Commits
sion OF Awards and Appeals passed the
House, and when it reached the Senate
it was discovered that there was no emer-
gency clause. To attempt to cure
| this defect and have the act
| take effect from and after
it's passage the Senate passed the bill with
an amendment, but some of the Senators
ana members doubt that this will meet
| the requirements, and contend that the
law will not take effect until ninety days
after Its passage
THE GREER COUNTY LAND BILL.
After the preliminaries of opening and
the reports Of committees were received
this morning, the Senate resumed cOu-
sideratiOn of the bill to validate land
titles in Greer comfy. Senator Terrell,
being entitled to the floor, resumed his
argument by comparing the constitutional
provisions relative to lands set apart and
appropriated for public school and the
public debt with the language of
the veteran certificates act, claiming
that these certificates were located IN
| good filth according TO the construction
placed upon the law by the legislators at
the time the law passed. He also held
that unless the bill now befyre the Senate
became q law We would lose our claim to
Greer county and it would pass undis-
puted into the hands Of the national gov
| eminent.
Senator Houston, speaking in Opposi-
| ton to the bill, sal in substance that the
reason Why the certificates were located
ii Greer county was not because the law
was construed to make the location Of
! these certificates o matter of prior
right, but because the lands were
rich and desirable. He Disputed the
right Of the Legislature to pass upon the
| legality OF these titles now under cOnsid-
Grafton by the courts. He closed his ar
gumeDt by saying that he would yield to
40 man in his respect for the rights of
the veterans OF Texas, and no
man would go further to honor
| them, but when their name
was dragged into the Legislative halls
as matter Of senEimentaIity to secure
| the passage of a law to cover up what he
considered to be fraudulent scheme TO
! secure titles to the best lands in the state,
| he would much prefer that it would pass
into the hands of the federal government.
Senator Harrison opposing the bill,
| claimed that under. the constitutional
grant as construed by the courts when
! applied to this Greer county question,
| prevented the Legislature from passing
any law validating titles to lands already
set apart to the public debt and pubic
school fund, reading court decisions to
support his position. He then referred
to the fact that g greater portion of these
! certificates had passed into the hands ot
corporations and land SPECTATORS who
| had purchased them at a nominal sum
and patented the lands In their own
names; therefore it was not the veterans
that were asking relief, but corporations
and spectators.
| Senator Macmanus held the position
| that the state was in honor bound to val
| idate these titles On the ground that ia
granting the certificates she paid deb.
of gratitude that was a gift in good faith,
and if there was any doubt as to the
validity OF the titles it should now be
cured.
Senator Burgess closed the debate in
behalf of the supporters of the bill. A
vote was then taken and the bill was de-
tested.
SENATE LAND BILL.
The House resumed consideration of
the substitute Senate land bill. The
main discussion arose on the motion TO
reject the House committee report, which
proposes to strike cut portion Of the
dill and substitute certain features en-
bodied in several If the House bills. All
dav the advocates and opponents have
wased war OF words over this import
ant measure. The lease law and
free grsss men went over the same ground
SO often csnvassed by them and each,
when he had foished his argument,
seemed 10 stand in the same position of
the old lady who said "she Was open to
conviction, but would ike to see the I
man who could convict her" Late in
the evening a vote was taken on the mo-
ton to reject the committee report which
was carried by vote of G7 to %.
THE HIGH LICENSE BILL.
The Senate took up the high license !
bill again at It's evening session, and
after amending and discussing its pro-
visions during greater portion Of the
evening an amendment Was carried to !
strike out ell Of section l of the bill, |
which embraces all the provisions that
increase the price Of selling, and leaves
the Dill Qlu ring frOm the ola law only on
those provisions that refer 10 the re-
moval of he blinds and permitting nude
pictures, partly nude girls, dancing and
like features. The bill then passed to its
third reading
sCPERINTENDENT AT RUsK.
From Information gained through the
executive department it is understood
that Mr.. William Neal RAINY, the present
Secretary of the Senate, will take the po-
sitiOn of superintendent of the Rusk pen
itentisry as soon as his time expires in
the Senate. In the meantime, Mr.. o BrieR
will continue to perform the duties CT the |
position.
TIE UNIVERSITY AND ITS BRANCHES.
What to do with the University and It's |
agricultural and mechanical, medical and |
colored branches, has been an unsettled |
question In the minds of our Senators and |